Houston Vietnamese Restaurant Question

RocketMan Tex · Nov 30, 2004

OK, foodies, I need your help.

Now that Houston's version of winter is here, my mind starts to envision big old honkin' bowls of pho. Pho, for the unitiated, is Vietnamese beef noodle soup. A Vietnamese friend turned me onto it about 5 years ago, and I really like it...I just never eat it during the summer here in Houston.

My favorite place to go get pho is at Pho Saigon, on Milam in Little Saigon (Midtown). Unfortunately, I have not found a pho place as good as Pho Saigon in the westside Chinatown (Bellaire Blvd. west of Gessner).

So here is my question.....

Can someone recommend to me a place in West Houston Chinatown where I can get a kick-ass bowl of pho?

Your help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!!!

coma · Nov 30, 2004

Tau Bay on Bellaire is good, so is the one on Beechnut.

robbie380 · Nov 30, 2004

Originally posted by RocketMan Tex
Pho, for the unitiated, is Vietnamese beef noodle soup.
Click to expand...

pho is just soup....it doesnt have to be beef

RocketMan Tex · Nov 30, 2004

Originally posted by robbie380
pho is just soup....it doesnt have to be beef
Click to expand...

True.....just most of the time it is.

robbie380 · Nov 30, 2004

i always get pho ga...chicken

MADE · Nov 30, 2004

i think the best pho places is...
Pho Binh - beechnut and wilcrest. the bowls are not as big as other places and its ghetto looking but its great stuff. they have a popular location that is basically a trailer. try their pho ga co (pho with chicken with the broth on the side). i believe they close at 4 or something odd like that.

another good place is the pho place on beechnut and boone in the bodard center next to kim lee's fastfood or something like that.

DarkHorse · Nov 30, 2004

The beef version is Pho Tai. That's what Tex is talking about.

Oski2005 · Nov 30, 2004

You guys are making me hungry. We actually have a Vietnamese place in College Station, but none of my friends ever want to go back. I'd go every week if I had a car.

Oh, and it's called Pho John's, lmao.

Fatty FatBastard · Nov 30, 2004

Never had Pho, RMTex, so I can't personally say. That said, A Dong won Best Vietnamese Restaurant in the Houston Press, and it's in that area on 10780 Bellaire Blvd. Review:

Asian-food aficionados in search of exotic dishes rate this plain-Jane Vietnamese restaurant highly. Muc rang muoi, hot fried cuttlefish over a cold watercress salad, is the No. 1 thing to order here. "Summer delight," a tossed salad of pork, shrimp and jellyfish over chopped vegetables, is another standout.
Click to expand...

Also Robb Walsh, HP food critic just did a review on The best dumplings in town. I'm partial to Doozo's downtown but will definitely give some of these other one's a try. A lot are in that area as well.

The review:

The free-form dumplings at Santong Snacks in Diho Plaza look like meatballs in floppy wrappers. But the spicy pork stays tightly fitted inside the thick and wonderfully chewy cloak of dough. And the pink pork is generously seasoned.
This humble, 11-table eatery has scuffed white walls, a dull tile floor and a cruddy acoustic-tile ceiling. For decoration, there's a fake plant and one pathetic print of a pink mountain. But at lunchtime, the place is always packed, and there's a steady stream of customers picking up food to go. Nearly all the patrons are Chinese-speaking. They don't come here for the atmosphere.

The secret of Santong's dumplings is freshness. They run a little factory in the back, so the dumplings are made continuously. The menu includes pork-and-leek, pork-and-cabbage, pan-fried and beef-soup dumplings (pork dumplings in beef broth). An order includes a dozen and costs $4.35. You make your own dipping sauce with the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and red chile flakes in oil provided on each table.

Are they the best dumplings in Houston? Well, maybe. But if you thought the debates over the best sourdough in San Francisco, the best pizza in New York, or the best hot dog in Chicago were heated, then try claiming you know where to get the best dumplings in Houston. Every time I recommend the dumplings at Santong Snacks, somebody tells me about another place to go. And, in the interest of fairness, I usually follow their advice.

My former girlfriend swears fierce allegiance to the Dumpling King, 6515 Westheimer. The King's menu boasts 19 different dumpling choices. But when pressed to explain why the dumplings are better, she always ends up praising the quality of the do-it-yourself dipping sauce. When you order dumplings at the Dumpling King, the waiter brings you a collection of jars. They contain ginger, garlic, rice wine vinegar, ground chile peppers, soy sauce and sesame oil. From these ingredients, you mix your dip the way you like it.

The highly trained journalists at the Houston Press differ on dumplings, too. Our assistant Night & Day editor likes the homemade dumplings at that bastion of hipness, Jenni's Noodle House, 2130 Jefferson. I know Jenni's mom makes the dumplings and all, but sorry, they never did much for me.

Meanwhile, our Night & Day editor likes Auntie Chang's Dumpling House, 2621 South Shepherd, a popular choice among Montrose residents. Auntie C. makes a tight little crescent-shaped dumpling with your choice of chicken, pork, beef, shrimp or spinach inside, and she also provides do-it-yourself sauces. But last time I visited, the six stainless-steel dispensers that contained the sauce ingredients were repulsively grubby. And while I was pleasantly surprised to find minced jalapeño in one, I had little use for the sweet orange sauce or prepared mustard in two of the others. Soy sauce, red chiles in oil and ginger were in the other three. Auntie delivers, so she will do in a pinch, I suppose.

When I arrived at the Press five years ago, the writers of the Cafe section were raving about Lai Lai Dumpling House, 9262 Bellaire Boulevard. In fact, we gave them Best Steamed Dumplings in our 2000 Best of Houston issue. Lai Lai serves a large oblong dumpling that is an especially good deal for the price. But unfortunately, the hot-dog-shaped fillings in these dumplings have a bad habit of escaping from their doughy blankets and slip-sliding across plates and tables.

Lai Lai Dumpling House is in the same shopping center as Santong Snacks out on Bellaire. I've always called the center Dumpling Plaza, though the real name is Diho Plaza. One day I asked a lunch patron at Santong who spoke both English and Chinese if she thought Santong had the best dumplings in Houston. "No," she said. "Lai Lai has the best dumplings."

"So then why are you eating lunch at Santong?" I asked in bewilderment.

"Because Santong has the best egg noodles," she said with a smile.

For me, the dumplings at Santong are the draw, but the egg noodles are indeed awesome. On the menu, they're called beef soup noodles. If you love noodles and dumplings equally, order one bowl of beef-soup noodles and one bowl of beef-soup dumplings, then split them between the two bowls. Of course, you'll end up with two bowls of soup, so bring a friend.

I figured the way to resolve the Lai Lai-versus-Santong debate was with a taste test. A friend of mine was throwing a party, so I purchased an assortment of dumplings at each restaurant. While I was at it, I checked to see if any of the other Chinese restaurants in Dumpling Plaza sold dumplings. (There are around ten Chinese restaurants in this center, more if you count ice cream shops and bakeries.) And indeed, Chinese Fast Food, 9380 Bellaire Boulevard, had dumplings too.

My teenage daughter, who was assisting me in the Styrofoam-container juggling required by this expedition, liked Chinese Fast Food immediately because they give away a free tapioca tea with every food purchase. We got some pork and pork-with-celery dumplings there, along with two of the bubble teas.

At the party, I wrote the variety of dumpling on top of each container and placed them all out on a buffet table along with other attractive comestibles. As the guests filled their plates, I noticed that the average guest chose the lukewarm dumplings over all other foodstuffs, including caviar. But the Lai Lai-versus-Santong contest went unsettled. In a vote at the end of the evening, the clear winner was the pork-and-celery dumpling from Chinese Fast Food.

And predictably enough, one voice in the crowd disputed the results of the entire election on the grounds that her favorite dumpling maker wasn't represented. Doozo Dumplings in the food court of the Park Shops in downtown Houston serves the best dumplings in the city, she argued. She told me the woman who serves them is affectionately known to her customers as the Dumpling Nazi for her brusque manner of rushing people through the line.

Rather than resolving anything, the taste test and popular vote ended up making me feel like I had more work to do.

Why does democracy have to be so messy?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At noon, there were maybe 20 people in line at Doozo Dumplings & Noodles at 1200 McKinney, more than at any other eatery in the food court. I heard a woman in the back of the line tell her two colleagues about the Dumpling Nazi. She told them they should be ready to order and have their money out when they got to the front, or the cashier would scold them for the delay.

I stood to the side and watched the action. The cashier directed traffic with her extended right hand. She took the money of the person in front of her, directed the next two to pick up their food and said "Next" to a person far down the line. She wasn't exactly gracious, but I don't think she was all that mean.

I got an order of assorted dumplings. They were freshly made in the pleated gumdrop shape called a beggar's purse. There were vegetable dumplings, which contained some kind of bland chopped greens, and pork dumplings, which were more to my liking. The passable premade dipping sauce comes in little plastic containers.

Doozo's dumplings are extraordinary compared to the other fare available in this shopping-mall food court. If my office were near the Park Shops, they would probably become a habit. But if you don't work downtown, they aren't really worth the parking hassle.

A dinnertime visit to the source of those much-beloved pork-and-celery dumplings, Chinese Fast Food, was a disaster. The place looked like a renovation project that had run out of money. A ladder leaned against the wall, as if they were thinking about painting the place someday. The floor was cluttered with stray sofa cushions. The only other patrons were two Chinese-speaking people who were watching a movie on DVD. Realizing that no one understood her, my bored teenage daughter began to supply her own translation voice-over to the stiffly overacted Asian drama.

"I don't care if you're gay, you still have to marry my daughter. I paid a lot of money for this wedding" was one of her choicer dubs.

Worst of all, the eagerly awaited pork-and-celery dumplings had been boiled instead of steamed, so when you bit into a hot dumpling, you got a mouth full of boiling water. I guess when you get them to go, they have more time to drain.

Seeking closure, I returned to Santong Snacks for one more lunch. A friend and I split the beef-soup noodles and beef-soup dumplings. And for good measure, I got a plate of pan-fried dumplings on the side. As usual, I also bought two plastic bags of frozen pork-and-leek ones to take home.

Yup, the dumplings at Santong Snacks are my favorite in Houston. (And what great noodles!) But I have despaired of building a consensus. From now on, when somebody asks me about Houston dumplings, I'm going to say: "They're all good."
Click to expand...

Happy eatin'!

Tenchi · Nov 30, 2004

Definitely try the trailer place. It is by far the best. The one on Beechnut and Wilcrest is good but not as good as the original trailer location.

Harrisment · Nov 30, 2004

Originally posted by Tenchi
Definitely try the trailer place. It is by far the best. The one on Beechnut and Wilcrest is good but not as good as the original trailer location.
Click to expand...

These guys are speaking the truth here RMT. The original Pho Binh located in the trailer is far and away the best tasting pho in town. It is located off of Beamer, on the southeast side of town. It's about 5 minutes away from where 45 and the belt meet down south. Only about 10 minutes away from my house, but pretty far for you. You should give it a shot sometime, you will not be sorry!

I actually work on the west side of town, and my favorite place over here is on Tidwell right at 290. It's called Pho Da Lat. There soup is my second favorite in town, and they have good spring rolls. Seriously though....try Pho Binh!

Pho Saigon is actually one of my least favorite places to have soup at.....it's been pretty greasy the couple of times I've been there.

Harrisment · Nov 30, 2004

Oh, one more thing. Pho Binh is only open until around 3:00pm I think, so you have to keep that in mind. I also think they are closed on Mondays.

RocketMan Tex · Nov 30, 2004

Harrisment...thanks. I must go down I-45 and check it out.

Fatty....I've been to A-Dong and it was quite good. I have also been to several of the dumpling places listed. I've been going to Santong Snacks for a while now, but I stopped going to Lai Lai. 15+ years ago it was great but it has steadily been going downhill. Doozoo definitely rocks as well.

distence · Nov 30, 2004

i second the trailer....alot of americans are scared to try the place because of the outside apperance but they make the best pho in houston besides my momma. its located on beamer rd right across from beverly hills intermediate (use to be dobie hs).

Luckyazn · Nov 30, 2004

Is tooo cold outside to leave my house ,guess I'll just make some of my INSTANT PHO just add meat balls

the futants · Nov 30, 2004

Originally posted by robbie380
pho is just soup....it doesnt have to be beef
Click to expand...

the broth is beef-base. the variations on ingredients change, but the broth of Pho is made from beef stock. other vietnamese soups are not made from beef broth are not called Pho, generally (obviously there are exceptions and this is not a law.) i think technically Pho means "personal bowl" i.e. not shared. just some insight...

huypham · Nov 30, 2004

Pho Binh Trailer used to be among the best. But now I honestly believe the Pho Binh at beechnut and wilcrest does it justice.

BUT - Pho Nguyen on the other side of beechnut and wilcrest is great too. Usually I toss a coin, check to see which parking lot is empty and proceed there. You CAN'T lose with these two places.

And - Pho Tau Bay sucks man. I mean it's "okay" but in comparsion to the mecca found on beechnut/wilcrest, it's not in the same league

Baqui99 · Nov 30, 2004

Tiem Ga Vit -> Bellaire and Synott makes some excellent French-Vietnamese sandwiches.

Oski2005 · Nov 30, 2004

Originally posted by Baqui99
Tiem Ga Vit -> Bellaire and Synott makes some excellent French-Vietnamese sandwiches.
Click to expand...

Hells yeah, I love that place.

mulletman · Nov 30, 2004

that stuff is hard to eat if you dont know how to use chopsticks

Forums

Houston Vietnamese Restaurant Question

RocketMan Tex Member

coma Member

robbie380 ლ(▀̿Ĺ̯▀̿ ̿ლ)
Supporting Member

RocketMan Tex Member

robbie380 ლ(▀̿Ĺ̯▀̿ ̿ლ)
Supporting Member

MADE Member

DarkHorse Member

Oski2005 Member

Fatty FatBastard Member

Tenchi Member

Harrisment Member

Harrisment Member

RocketMan Tex Member

distence Member

Luckyazn Member

the futants Member

huypham Member

Baqui99 Member

Oski2005 Member

mulletman Member

Share This Page

About ClutchFans

Rockets Content

Support ClutchFans!

Houston Vietnamese Restaurant Question

RocketMan Tex Member

coma Member

robbie380 ლ(▀̿Ĺ̯▀̿ ̿ლ) Supporting Member

RocketMan Tex Member

robbie380 ლ(▀̿Ĺ̯▀̿ ̿ლ) Supporting Member

MADE Member

DarkHorse Member

Oski2005 Member

Fatty FatBastard Member

Tenchi Member

Harrisment Member

Harrisment Member

RocketMan Tex Member

distence Member

Luckyazn Member

the futants Member

huypham Member

Baqui99 Member

Oski2005 Member

mulletman Member

Share This Page

robbie380 ლ(▀̿Ĺ̯▀̿ ̿ლ)
Supporting Member

robbie380 ლ(▀̿Ĺ̯▀̿ ̿ლ)
Supporting Member